Egypt’s military forces have started a massive operation against armed extremists in northern Sinai Peninsula, reports in the Egyptian media say.

The operation dubbed ‘Desert Storm’ was launched by the Egyptian
army in North Sinai Governorate on Saturday and will last for 48
hours, Al Ahram newspaper said citing security sources.

The army reported Sunday that at least 10 "militants" were killed
during the operation, while around 20 others were arrested.

The military action aims to block extremists’ desert and mountain
bases and end terrorist activity in the region, primarily
in the northern and central Sinai.

Two of Egypt’s field armies, as well as the country’s Air Force
and Navy are reportedly taking part in this large-scale
operation.

The military are said to be blocking all the roads, bridges and
tunnels leading from Northern Sinai to other provinces of Egypt.

The security forces maintain there are about 500 armed extremists
in the area that may use the local civilians as human
shield.

The security situation in North Sinai has deteriorated after the
former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was ousted on July 3. The
local insurgents that have been active ever since the popular
uprising of January 2011 are said to have been joined by Islamist
supporters that vowed to lead an armed fight against the
authorities.

The Muslim Brotherhood has denied having a hand in the escalating
violence in the region. However, one of the group’s leaders was
quoted as saying that the insurgent attacks would end as soon as
“the legitimate president” is freed from detention,
according to RIA Novosti.

At least 23 members of the security forces and 10 civilians have
been killed in the North Sinai city of Al-Arish by suspected
Jihadist militants since Morsi’s ouster, according to Ahram
Online.

Morsi ‘could have ordered Sinai operation 1.5 years ago’

Despite reports that the operation would last for approximately
two days, the Egyptian Army is well aware of the fact that
“they would be fighting a long war against the terrorists in
Sinai, and most likely also in mainland Egypt,” Middle East
analyst and counter-terrorism expert Walid Phares told RT.

Currently, the army is “making sure that the Jihadi forces
won’t have an enclave” in North Sinai, which could turn it
into a breakaway extremist-controlled region, Phares said.

According to information published by the Egyptian Army, “had
the Morsi regime continued for a few more months…there would have
been a declaration of an emirate of Northern Sinai…and that would
be the equivalent of Waziristan in Pakistan, or Northern
Mali,” the analyst explained.

While it is unclear if the extremists in the region have links to
the Muslim Brotherhood, both the army and secular parties have
criticized ousted president Morsi for what he “could have
ordered the same Egyptian Army to go and do the same operation 1
½ years ago, but he did not.”

Morsi’s government failed to do so, instead choosing to send a
delegation to negotiate with Sinai extremists because Morsi’s
right-wing ally, the Al-Nur Salafi party, had been “linked to
these Jihadists” and “came from the same background,”
according to Phares.